Splendour is in the running for the title of the UK’s best Major Festival along with giants of the festival scene as the LIVE awards reveal the contenders today (26 October).
Making the grade alongside some of the most legendary festivals in the UK – Isle of Wight Festival; Reading & Leeds Festival; TRNSMT Festival (Scotland); Victorious Festival (Portsmouth) and Wireless Festival (London), the announcement is set to bring the feelgood factor to Nottingham shining a positive spotlight on the city.
Celebrating its 15th year, the Splendour 2023 line-up was headlined by Madness and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, with a diverse range of artists across the five stages in Wollaton Park.
Noel Gallagher (speaking to Radio X) singled out the festival for special praise, saying: “The minute you walked on it was just a different energy altogether. The crowd was f**king amazing. And those are the nights you live for.”
2023 was the biggest Splendour ever, with more than 30,000 attending over two days, and a stellar line-up of iconic performers, living legends and emerging artists.
This year saw the introduction of a brand new bigger main stage and improved second stage, further cementing Splendour as Nottinghamshire’s biggest festival. The Confetti stage, run in partnership with the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies,
gives a platform to many local artists as well as the opportunity for hundreds of tech students to hone their skills in a live environment.
In an effort to make the festival accessible, DHP Family gave away 600 adult weekend tickets to 30 primary schools in the parts of Nottingham with the highest levels of social deprivation with children under 11 getting in for free. This year, payment plans and an additional youth ticket option were also introduced to give affordable ticket options for families in recognition of cost of living pressures, while the Residents Discount scheme continues to offer 10 percent reduction.
DHP Family Director of Live Anton Lockwood said: “It’s fantastic that all our hard work to make Splendour the best we can has been recognised by the industry. We’re always looking at what we can do to make it a real highlight of the summer as well as affordable for families. We’re overjoyed to see Splendour and Nottingham being recognised on the national stage alongside some major names in the festival world. Everyone in Nottingham can feel proud to have this festival showcasing their city in a positive light.”
DHP Family, based in the Lace Market, is playing an integral role in developing valuable cultural assets for Nottingham, with the company finding out today that it has also been shortlisted for LIVE awards National Promoter accolade, while two of its venues – Rescue Rooms (Nottingham) and Thekla (Bristol) – are in running for the Grassroots Champion award.
The UK Festival Awards has also today revealed DHP Family has made the shortlist for Promoter of the Year while two of its festivals have been named – Dot To Dot for Best Metropolitan Festival and the newest addition to DHP’s festival portfolio, Bearded Theory in Derbyshire, named in Best Medium Festival category.
Commenting on the other awards, Anton Lockwood said: “Nottingham’s venue circuit is internationally respected, bringing contemporary music to the area with Rescue Rooms playing a vital role in this live music eco system for more than 20 years. As a successful national business with our home in Nottingham, we’re proud to be playing a major role in developing cultural assets of real value and making the city a significant draw for tourists and students as well as employing many local young people and supporting the creative sector.”
Set up to recognise excellence in the £4.5bn live music industry, the LIVE Awards select the best in class for the final shortlist with entries judged by a panel of industry professionals. The LIVE Awards will be presented on 12 December in London, in front of an invited industry audience.
The UK Festival Awards winners will be announced on 5 December 2023.
